email: randlinhomes@charter.net
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THE STORY OF
RANDLIN ADULT
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Latest News From Randlin Homes
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Randlin Adult Family Care Homes Inc. began it's mission in December of 2000, with the hope of offering a safe place for the many chemically dependent residents (primarily homeless veterans) to recover. Local Veteran's Employment Representative Gary Albrecht, continued to see a regular flow of veterans at the Wausau Salvation Army Homeless Shelter with no place to go, and felt there was a need for a local facility to meet their needs. Ralph Schlitz Jr. was already operating a half-way house for chemically dependent adults who had criminal backgrounds and it seemed to be a good match. The majority had mental health issues as well, and many did not meet criteria to enter the Veterans Administration homeless programs...since residents need to be mentally and medically stable in order to be admitted to those programs in the Wisconsin facilities. Criminal records also stood in the way for some veterans to receive treatment, still others got no help because the VA homeless programs were full. The non-veterans were also floundering without any place to go and continued to relapse out of frustration and hopelessness. The reality of seeing Veterans who had faithfully served our country, and other fellow residents, sleeping in dumpsters to get out of the cold, made starting a non-profit agency to help them a necessity in the minds of Randlinhomes' co-founders Ralph and Linda Schlitz.. With the help of Veteran's Representative Gary Albrecht, and live-in staff member and volunteer Heather Parise, Randlin Adult Family Care Homes was able to begin their outreach. Randlin Homes began with the idea that a family type home environment was the best approach to recovery for chronically mentally ill, and chemically dependent men and women. Because so many had become alienated from their families, and no longer had a purpose through the military, their feelings of belonging were gone which contributed to their pain and self-condemnation. The obvious solution was to establish a basic foundation of belonging and hope. The agency has found great reward and a positive impact on the community with this model. The first resident was admitted to Randlin Homes 6 bedroom facility in February of 2001. Licensed as an Adult Family Home it continues to serve 4 residents contracted to serve by various County agencies, and 2 previously homeless staff who have done well in the Randlin Homes programs and moved into a paid position.
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About the "Randlin Homes" Name
Named after Phoenix Arizona's Christian Recording Artists Randy and Linda Thompson, founders Ralph and Linda Schlitz, hoped to follow the Thompson's ministry, by believing that if they provided the love and care that God had led them to give to their residents, donations and funding to keep the doors open would follow...and it has.
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Randlin Homes Latest Venture During the summer of 2008, Linda Larson Schlitz, and Rebecca Epperson traveled to San Francisco to learn more about a unique organization that helps to rehabilitate nonviolent criminals who have served their time, and give them an opportunity to become productive members in their community. The Delancy Street foundation, founded in 1971 by 4 people with a vision has become a great success, and a model for other such organizations around the World. Our new venture is to become self-sufficient through developing social enterprises with an "each one teach one" model that will allow residents to not only learn new transferable employment and life skills from one another but will also offer an opportunity to gain self esteem and a sense of purpose and meaning. Whether a resident has been there a day or 10 years, everyone has something positive they can share. It is our hope that with community involvement we can minimize the cost of incarceration and homelessness by providing housing and support services to offenders and homeless residents (primarily veterans) in a 20 bed home and our other residences and provide them with a 1 year education and training program that will offer transferable skills to help them become more self sufficient in this challenging economy. |
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Ralph & Linda Schlitz |
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It is our hope that those visiting this site today would begin to see the need to help the thousands of homeless and mentally ill veterans on our streets today, and would lend a hand to reach out and help in their healing. |
Randlin Homes is a faith based 501(c)(3) non profit organization providing comprehensive services to homeless
veterans, and others with substance abuse or mental illness in a home-like environment.
Providing alternatives to incarceration, providing education and training,
is a focus to assist in reintegration and self-sufficiency.
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